


The Daltons - Lies

by Niky_94



Category: Les Dalton | The Daltons (Cartoon)
Genre: Brother-Sister Relationships, Cuddles, Fluff, Lies, Protective Siblings, Scolding, Sibling Bonding, Spanking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-14
Updated: 2016-11-14
Packaged: 2018-08-31 00:11:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8555101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Niky_94/pseuds/Niky_94
Summary: Based on the tv show "The Daltons" by Xilam Animation





	

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the tv show "The Daltons" by Xilam Animation

“So?” Miss Betty asked, clearly fed up. She crossed her arms and shot a severe look at the girl seated in front of her.  
Niky lowered her gaze on her notebook and stared at the blank page, which was supposed to be occupied by the essay the teacher had assigned the previous day. William will kill me, this time, I just know it! she thought, downcast  
“What did you say?” the woman asked, her left eyebrow arching up.  
Niky realized that, lost in her thoughts as she was, she must have pronounced her brother's name out loud. “Huh, nothing, I said that, huh…” Her face suddenly lit up “I was saying that I couldn't write my essay because I had to take care of my brother, William!” she candidly declared “He has a bad flu”  
Miss Betty's gaze softened “Oh, I'm so sorry… Is he really sick?”  
“Sadly, yes” the girl replied, acting pained “He can't even get up from his bed”  
“Oh, poor thing!” the teacher exclaimed. She shook her head, and smiled “Given the fact of things, you slate is clean. Don't worry about the essay, you can turn it in when your brother feels better”  
Niky smiled, happy as ever. The 'sick-brother' trick was old as time itself, but it still worked like a charm.  
Miss Betty walked back to the blackboard, and turned to face the class. “Very well, today's lessons are over. Don't forget to read the fourth chapter of your History book. Have a nice day!” she said, with a warm smile.  
Then, the school bell rang, announcing the end of the lessons by filling the class with its bright ring. All the inmates stood up at the same time and ran in the prison yard, laughing and playing tricks on each other.  
Niky collected her books, waved the teacher goodbye, and exited the classroom.  
“Hey, flea!” William hailed, walling towards his sister and waving his hand to get her attention.  
The girl jerked “W-William! What are you doing here?”  
His smile widened “What a question, I came to get you, of course! How was school?”  
Niky paled: if Miss Betty saw him, she would have found out she had lied to her, and she would have been in serious trouble! “Errr… Great!” she exclaimed, with a nervous smile. She shot a worried look at the classroom, and sighed in relief, as she noticed Miss Betty was still seated at her desk, and very focused on correcting the essays she had collected that day. Nevertheless, the girl decided that it was not safe for her to have her brother standing out in the open in the middle of the yard.  
“Hey, what are you doin'?” William asked, perplex, as his sister began to drag him by his wrists.  
“Err, I need your help, big brother, I need a hand with my homework!” she said, as she tried to drag him towards the cells. “Can you help me, please?”  
“Why, sure!” he muttered, confused “You know that you can always count on me!”  
“Super!” she answered with a smile, and ran to the cell, without letting go of William:

*** *** *** ***

“So, where would you like to start from?” William asked with a smile, looking at his sister.  
“Well, let's see...” Niky let her gaze slid rapidly on the volumes she had aligned on her brother's cot. Finally, she pick up a book with a blue cover “Let's start with Math” she said, lifting up the book to show William.  
“Very good” he said, and he opened the book where the girls had left the bookmark. “Trigonometry, very interesting...” he commented, after taking a look at a few pages.  
“Interesting, suuuure...” the girl chuckled. She smiled widely at him “Thanks for giving me a hand”  
William smiled too “My pleasure. I'm always happy to help you, sis!” Then, he lowered his gaze on the book, as if caught up by a sudden thought “To be honest… I am a bit surprised that you asked for my help. I've always offered to give you a hand with your homework, but I couldn't convince you in any way...” He looked at her, studying her expression “What made you change your mind?”  
“Huh, well, you know… I just realized I really need a hand...” she said, pretending to really believing what she was saying “And I thought that nobody could have helped me better than you...” she concluded, with a shy smile.  
The man's lips opened in a big, warm smile “I'm very proud of you, little one” he sincerely declared “You've finally understood that school's important!”  
“Yeah, totally” the girl solemnly said. Then, her expression changed. She bit her bottom lip, and looked at her brother, an uncertain look on her face “So… Would you mind staying here and help me for like… the whole afternoon?”  
“The whole afternoon?” he asked, in disbelief “Did Miss Betty give you this much homework?”  
Niky nervously chewed on her lip “Well, no” she said, uncertain “But the next lessons will be pretty though, and I thought it would have been best if I'd given them a look with you, first...”  
William's smile became, if possible, much more wide “Oh, Niky, you're really becoming a responsible girl!” he exclaimed, his eyes sparkling for the sudden wave of emotion “Go on like this, and you'll be top student!”  
The girl smiled, uncomfortable. Great!, she thought, William is actually proud of me for the first time, and I'm doing nothing but lying straight to his face! Her throat felt dry all of a sudden, and her stomach felt like it had been twisted. Well, maybe this is not entirely a lie…, she thought, trying to put and end to that awful sense of guilt she was feeling, At least it won't be, if I really get down on my homework, this afternoon. I'll study hard, and I'll prove William I'm not a lost cause!  
“Sis, are you OK?” William asked, waving a hand in front on her face, as to check if she could see him.  
“Huh?” Niky muttered, suddenly called back to reality. “Oh, I'm fine, we can start!” she declared firmly. She opened her notebook, retrieved her fountain pen and opened the ink bottle. She sat on her brother's cot, and rose her gaze on him, waiting.  
“Very good, let's begin: Trigonometry is the branch of Mathematics that studies triangles, considering their angles. The most important task of Trigonometry is...”

*** *** *** ***

A couple of hours had passed, when Niky suddenly rose her hand. “William?”  
He interrupted his lesson, and looked at her “Yes?”  
“Can we stop for a moment?” she shyly asked “I need to go to the bathroom...”  
The man smiled, and nodded his head “Sure. I'll wait for you here”  
“Thanks” the girl said “Be back in a flash!” And she disappeared in the corridor.

*** *** *** ***

“Aah…!” Niky sighed, as she got out from the toilet room “I really thought I was going to explode...” She washed her hands, dried them off, and checked her reflection in the mirror: dark brown eyes, dark brown hair that reached her shoulders; a nose a little too small, on the tip of which the big glasses she wore were so keen on sliding. Pink, roundish cheeks, on which little freckles could be found sometimes, if they've been exposed to the sun for a long time. All these details made the girl look younger than she actually was. No one ever believed she was twenty-one years old.  
Well, I'd better get back to the cell now. William is probably wondering where am I…  
She walked through the prison yard, and was just about to reach the heavy iron door that lead to the cells, when -   
“NIKY DALTON!” a voice exclaimed from behind her.  
The girl turned around, and boggled, as she saw Miss Betty marching towards her, a very annoyed expression on her face.  
“Err… Good afternoon, Miss Betty… What can I do for you?” Niky asked, nervous.  
“Sure you can!” the woman exclaimed clearly fed up “For example, you can explain why you lied to me about your brother!”  
The girl paled “W-what?”  
“I just met Mr Peabody in the infirmary” Miss Betty explained, irritated “I was looking for some medicines to cure William, since you told me that he was really sick. And when We chatted for a while, and when I told him about your brother, Mr Peabody assured me that he saw William breaking rocks in the yard with the other inmates, this morning, and that he looked absolutely fine!”  
Niky's face became so pale that the girl could have easily been mistaken for a ghost. All of a sudden, she felt like she had just swallowed a brick. “T-that must be a mistake… My brother's look a lot alike, you know that” she stammered, trying to think fast “Mr Peabody must have been mistaken…”  
The teacher shot her a very strict look “I don't know why, but I have the feeling you lied to me...”  
The girl energetically shook her head “I haven't, you have to believe me, Miss Betty!” she declared, her hands wet with cold sweat “William is very sick, I swear!”  
“Very good” Miss Betty answered, looking at her with her hands n her hips “If this is the truth, you wouldn't mind me visit him to make sure he's really sick, would you?”  
Niky's heart seemed to skip a beat “W-what? But...” She took a step back “Maybe you shouldn't, he's really contagious, I don't want you to get sick as well...”  
The woman shook her head “Don't worry about me, I have a very robust health”  
“But -”  
“Good, then we're set” Miss Betty went on, ignoring her weak attempt of making an objection “I'll come to your cell later, to make sure William is really sick. If you have told me the truth, you won't have nothing to worry about, and I'll apologize to you” She narrowed her eyes, and leaned closer to her student “But if you have lied to me, I assure you that nothing will save you from a suspension!” Having spoken thus, she left.  
“Miss Betty, wait-!” Niky called, but she didn't receive any answer: the woman was already gone. “What am I gonna do now?” the girl asked herself, careless that she was talking out loud “I'm doomed!” She started to bit her nails, as she always did when she was really nervous. Suddenly, her face lit up “There's only one thing to do...”

*** *** *** ***

“WILLIAM! WILLIAM!”  
The inmate boggled, and rose his eyes from the Trigonometry book he had been reading while waiting for his sister to get back. “Hey, Niky, what's going on?” he asked, seeing her rushing into the cell, wide-eyed and far more pale than usual.  
Before he could stood up, Niky dove in his arms. “William, help me, please!”  
“But- What's going on, flea? Are you hurt?” he asked, taking her face in his hands and looking at her, worried.  
The girl shook her head. She climbed in his lap, and wrapped her arms around his neck, hiding her face in her shoulder “I-I'm in a load of trouble!”  
“In trouble?” he repeated. He put his hands on her shoulders and pulled away a little, just as much as he needed to look at her “What happened? Come on, tell your big brother all about it...”  
Niky shivered, and hold on tight on his prison uniform “I-I… I forgot I had to write an essay for school, and when Miss Betty collected our homework today I- … I had to tell her a lie, or she would have got mad…”  
The man rolled his eyes “What lie?” he asked, slightly impatient.  
She swallowed hard “-I didn't want to lie… I had to, or-”  
“What lie?” William repeated in a harsh tone, giving her a severe look “What have you told her?”  
The girl shivered again, and slid down of her brother's lap, trying to get away “P-Promise you won't get mad?” she asked in a trembling voice.  
He ran out of patience “NIKY!” he snapped, standing up.  
Niky winced “I told her you were really sick and that I couldn't do my homework because I had to take care of you!” she bustled out, her eyes tight, too scared to see her brother's expression.  
William stood there, jaws-dropped. “W-what?” he babbled. Then, his eyes went wide, as a sudden thought lit up his mind “So that's why you asked me to stay in the cell and help you, today!” he realized, shocked “You were trying to keep me out of sight, so Miss Betty wouldn't have seen me!”  
Niky leaped back “I-I had to do it, William! If she saw you, she would have found out I lied to her!” She hugged herself, and went on “I-I'm sorry, I know I did wrong, but I didn't know what to d-do!” she whined, trying to justify herself “E-everything was going just fine, b-but then Miss Betty met Mr Peabody, and he told her he saw you breaking rocks this morning, and she found out! A-and now she's coming here!”  
“Here?” he repeated, puzzled “But… Why?”  
“She wants to make sure you're r-really sick...” Niky sniffled, and rose her eyes on her brother “I-i need your help, William! If she sees you're not sick at all, she will find out I lied to her a-and… and she said she would have suspended me, this time!”  
“SUSPENDED?!” he choked out. He gritted his teeth, and looked at his sister with a thunderous expression “I'm sorry, but this is your problem” he said, shaking his head “If you had done your homework properly as I always tell you, you wouldn't be in such trouble” He opened his arms, and added “Besides, you lied to me as well, Niky! I really thought you finally became a responsible girl… I was so proud of you, and you lied straight to my face!” he said sadly, and departed his gaze from her.  
“N-no, that's not true, I-!” The girl slowly walked to him, and carefully took his hands in hers. “I never wanted to lie to you, but if I told you the truth you would have got mad and -”  
“Of course I would have got mad!” William snapped “But I would have been proud of you for telling me the truth! You would have proved to be a mature person who takes responsibility for her mistakes!”  
She looked at him, her cheeks red with shame, and big tears starting to form in her eyes “I-I'm sorry, William...”  
At that very moment, someone knocked on the cell door.  
“Miss Betty!” a whisper full of panic escaped the girl's lips, and she was startled by the knocking.  
“Niky?” the teacher's voice came from the other side of the iron door “Can I come in?” she asked, in a tone that was everything but a request.  
The girl looked at her brother, her eyes wide with fear “Please, help me-!” she implored, on the brim of tears.  
William didn't answer. He only moved his gaze away from his sister, and looked at the cell door.  
Niky closed her eyes, and imposed herself to be strong. There was no escaping, this time. She let go of William, and slowly walked to the door. She took a deep breath, dried her eyes and opened the door “Come in, Miss Betty...” she murmured in a sad tone.  
“Finally!” the woman commented, as she marched into the cell. She looked over the girl, and opened her mouth, surprised. “Oh...”  
Niky turned around to look at her brother… and jumped for the surprise.  
William had slipped under the covers, his face contracted in an expression of pure pain and tiredness. “Oh, goob afternoon, Miss Betty” he whispered “Blease, come in...”  
Niky moved away, incredulous, and the teacher slowly walked closer to the bed. “Good afternoon, William… How do you feel?”  
He shook his head “Sadly, not very goob” he answered, his voice sounding all nasally as he was pretending to have a cold “I think I got myself a bad flu...”  
“I see...” Miss Betty said, coming closer “So you're really sick… And Niky really had to take care of you...”  
William nodded “She is really unique” he said, reaching out to hold his sister “She stayeb with me all the time!” He loudly blew his nose in a big white cotton handkerchief, and went on “I hobe this didn't interfere with her school work...”  
Miss Betty smiled, and shook her head “Oh, don't worry about it. The only thing you should think about is to recover soon” She was silent for a moment, then she looked at him, embarrassed “If I have to be honest, I have to admit that I thought Niky had tell me a lie to have an excuse for not been handling in her homework, but… I must come around. It's clear now that you're really sick, William”  
He nodded “Sure, Niky would never bo something like that. She's honest, resbonsible, and woub never tell a lie...” he said, holding the girl closer.  
Niky blushed deeply and looked down, embarrassed by that 'subtle' reproach.  
The teacher smiled again “I am certain of that, now. I present my apologies to the both of you, and I hope you will accept it...”  
The two siblings nodded, and the smile on Miss Betty's face widened “Good. Now that this issue has been taken care of, I'd better leave. You need your rest if you want to recover properly, Mr William”  
The man nodded, with a little smile.  
“Well, see you at school, Niky” Miss Betty smiled “And… Please, forgive me for not believing you”  
The girl shook her head “You don't need to apologize… Believe me...”  
“Well, then… See you tomorrow” the woman said, and disappeared into the corridor, waving goodbye.  
“Bye...” Niky answered. She sat on her brother's cot next to him, and observed the guard who had accompanied Miss Betty closing the door. She held her breath until she heard the sound of the door being locked, and waited until the man was gone. Then, she bursted out laughing. She had feared the worst until a few seconds ago, and now she couldn't possibly contain her relief. “I can't believe it, it worked!” she exclaimed between her laughter, ad hugged William tight “Thanks, big brother, you were awesome! And don't know what I would have done if it wasn't for you!” Then, she lifted her eyes on him. She noticed the thunderous expression on his face, and immediately stopped laughing. “Err, I… I probably should go and write that essay now...” she babbled, letting go of her brother. She gave him a nervous smile, and slowly started to get away, sliding on the cot and away from him. “It's really difficult, I'd better get down on it right away -”  
“Hold it right there!” he ordered, in a firm tone that caused her to wince. “Where do you think you're going? We still need to have a serious discussion, young lady!” He took her by her arm, and pulled close to him. “Come on” he added, pointing to his knees.  
The girl paled “B-but...” she tried to object, but he interrupted her.  
“No buts, young lady. You really blew it, this time, and you know it very well” he scolded “I helped you because I didn't want you to get into trouble, but don't think for one second that I'm going to let you get away with it! You lied to Miss Betty and risked to be suspended from school for it. And what's even worse, you lied to me! You broke my trust! Do you have an idea how serious this is?” He paused, and sighed, shaking his head “I'm really disappointed in you, flea...”  
Niky looked down, incapable of looking him in the eyes. Her instinct was screaming to beg William to reconsider the whole thing, so he might decide not to punish her. But his last words had hit her hard, and they kept echoing in her mind, and so did his reprimand about her not taking the responsibility of her actions. Tears started to gather in her eyes, as she thought how badly she wanted to kick herself for being so stupid. She loved her brother with all her heart, and the best way she decided to prove it was lying to him, and breaking his trust. She knew the spanking she was about to get was going to be painful, but she couldn't really bring herself to an attempt of escape. She couldn't disappoint her brother again, and for some reason, a sore bottom sounded better than hurting his older brother any further. Maybe it was not too late to show him she was mature, after all… So she sniffled, and slowly nodded her head. “O-OK...” And she carefully positioned herself across his lap.  
William immediately noticed her attempt to regain his trust, and his lips curved up into a soft smile. This is my little flea, he thought, proud of her for accepting the consequence of her actions. Then, he remembered what he was about to do, and shook his head, imposing himself to concentrate on his task. He put his left hand on the small of the girl's back to hold her steady, and rose his right arm. I'm doing this for her own good, he told himself. Then, he lowered his arm, and hit the girl on her bottom with the palm of his hand.  
“Ah!!” Niky exclaimed. That hurt! Her mother had always been very keen on punishing her sons and daughter with spankings, and as her older brothers took the habit as well, she had plenty of experience with that kind of punishment; nevertheless, the first swat always took her by surprise. She held on tight to her brother's trousers, and closed her eyes, trying to prepare herself for the second swat.   
William didn't let her wait, and brought his palm back again on her skirt-covered bottom.  
“Aww! N-not this hard, William, it hurts!” she whined, as a burning feeling already started to irradiate from the spot he had just hit.  
“It's supposed to hurt, Niky” answered the man, who was actually trying his best to hurt her the less he could “That's how you learn not to get yourself into trouble like this!” He kept spanking her, as he started to gain a firm rhythm. He equally delivered the smacks between the two cheeks, making sure not to leave any spot untouched.  
Niky bit her bottom lip, trying her best to keep her moans down. She certainly didn't want any of the inmates or guards to know that she was being spanked! Her arms jerked forward and she grabber her brother's pillow, only to bury her face in it, trying to muffle her yelps a bit. “P-please, William, I'm s-sorry!” she begged, her face pressed against the pillow.  
“Well, I hope your sorrow will help you to do better, in the future” her brother said, in a severe tone. He increased the harshness of the smacks, causing the girl to let out a loud yelp.  
“Please, W-William, you're h-hurting me!” she cried, as tears started to flow from her eyes.   
“I'm sorry, but you need to face the consequence of your actions! Lying is never a good choice, Niky, especially when you lie to the ones who love you!” William scolded. Then, he grabbed the back of her skirt, and lift it up with a swift movement.  
The girl's eyes widened in horror, as she realized what he was about to do. “No, No, William, let me go!” she squeaked. She started to struggle like mad, trying to slip down from his lap.  
But despite his thinness, the man had an iron grip, and all her struggling didn't make the slightest difference. “You're not in position to give orders, sis!” he replied, and lowered his hand fast, hitting the center of her bottom with a particulary hard smack.  
“OWW!” Niky cried out, and started to kick with both of her legs “I'm sorry, William, please, don't do that, please -!”  
But he simply shook his head, and kept on delivering painful swats to his sister's bottom “I'm sorry, but you brought this upon yourself. I always tell you who important school is, and you keep on not turning in your homework. I'm really sick and tired of you being so reckless about your future!” He scolded, spanking her at an even steady rate. He took note of the girl's dark pink cheeks, and moved his attention on her tights. “And you also lied to your teacher, having her worry about my health for no reason, when you perfectly know that Miss Betty trusts you, and worries about us!”  
Niky was in true distress. She knew she was supposed to pay attention to what her brother was telling her, but the pain in her bottom and the new burning feeling that was spreading across her tights made it difficult to focus on what she was being told. “OWW, William! Please – OWWW, I'm sorry!”  
William ignored her, and kept on peppering her bottom with stinging swats “And then, you decided to lie to me. To me, Niky!” He wasn't lying that he was fed up. The girl could feel it with every smack. “I believed you *SPANK!* And you lied straight to my face! *SPANK! SPANK!* You don't lie to the people who love you *SPANK!* and you don't keep their trust in such low consideration! SPANK!” He gritted his teeth, and started to smack her sitting spot. He knew that must be feeling awful for her, but he really wanted to get his message across. He cared far too much about her to watch her getting into trouble without taking action.  
At this point, Niky was laying limply on her her brother's lap. She simply didn't have the strength to fight back anymore. And what was worst, was that she knew William was right. He had always been there for her, no matter if she needed a guide, a scolding, or just a hug. He'd never left her alone, no matter how big was the trouble she managed to get herself into. He had always been there to help her. How could have she been so selfish and careless? William loved her and trusted her, how could she lied to him, and involved him in such a silly scheme, just to get out of trouble? She held on to the pillow with all of her strength, dripping true penitence along with the tears “I'm s-sorry, big brother...I'm s-so s-sorry...”  
William looked down at her, and could tell his little flea had had enough. “I know, little one. I know…” He gave her another couple of swats on her sitting spots for good measure, then he stopped. He shot a look on her cheeks and her tights, and his heart winced, as he realized they had turned into a deep scarlet. She was surely gonna feel it for a couple of days. He put her skirt back in place, than he gently rested a hand on the girl's back, and started to rub soothing circles on it, patiently waiting for the worst of her stormy sobs to subside. “Niky, sweetheart?” he whispered “You can get up now, it's over...” He bent over and lifted the girl to sit on his lap, making sure to spread his legs, so she could have her sore bottom resting between them, other than rubbing against his legs. Then, he scooped his little sister into an embrace. “There, there… It's over now...” he whispered softly.  
Niky wrapped her arms around him, and hid her face against his chest, as she resumed crying her heart out. “I-I'm sorry, William! I'm so, so sorry!” she sobbed, holding onto him as her life depended on it “I-I didn't mean to h-hurt you, I was j-just trying t-to get out of t-trouble...”  
He nodded his head, and let his fingers run through her dark hair “I know, flea, I know…” he waited until he judged her to be calmed down enough to listen, then he went on “I know you didn't mean to hurt anyone, Niky. But I need to know something” He took her chin in his hand, and gently lifted it up, so he could look her directly in the eyes “Had you already decided to lie to Miss Betty when you went to school, this morning?”  
The girl blinked, confused, but kept silent. What was the point of that question? Would William have spanked her again, if he didn't like the answer?  
“Before you say anything,” he said, interrupting the flow of her thoughts “I want to have you know that I won't get mad, no matter what your answer will be. But I need you to be honest with me” He looked seriously at her, waiting for an answer.  
Niky swallowed, and shook her head “N-no. I didn't mean to lie to Miss Betty, and I most certainly didn't mean to lie to you!” she answered, sitting up straight and facing him “I really thought I'd done all my homework, but I forgot all about the essay… I wanted to tell the truth, but I thought Miss Betty would have got mad, and that she would have told you, and then you would have got mad as well a-and… I panicked…” She paused to catch her breath, as she was still caught up in the wave of emotions she had felt in such a little time “I lied to Miss Betty, and I felt bad about it… But then it was too late to tell the truth… And then I saw you in the yard, and I wasn't expecting you at all, and I couldn't let Miss Betty see you so…!”  
“You needed to find a good excuse to bring me back to the cell...” William concluded, understanding.  
The girl nodded “I wanted to tell you the truth, but I was scared you would have got mad… Besides, you were so happy that… I really couldn't break this to you…” she confessed in a whisper, and lowered her head, ashamed. “I'm really sorry, William… You were finally proud of me and … And I ruined everything!” She rubbed her eyes with her sleeve, as tears started to threaten to flow from them again. “I'm so sorry… P-please, please forgive me...”  
William blinked a couple of times, then pulled his sister in his arms, and hugged her tight. “Of course, flea” he said, rocking her as he did when she was little “Of course I forgive you. This is all behind us now, and I'm not mad at you” he reassured her, kissing her forehead. He gently took her chin in his hand, and lifted it up, so that they could look into each others eyes “I already suspected that you lied only because you got scared. I know you would never do something like that on purpose, flea…” he smiled, and went on “And I also want you to know that nothing of this would have happened, if you have said the truth. People can forget about things, nobody is perfect, Niky. If you'd told me the truth, I wouldn't have got mad at all! And I believe Miss Betty would have understood as well”  
“Do you really think so?” asked the girl, looking at him.  
He nodded his head, and smile again “Think about it: you risked to be suspended from school, and you were both scolded and punished, all because of a lie. If you told us the truth, the worst thing that you would have got would have been a very light scolding from me and Miss Betty. You see where I'm going with this?”  
Niky nodded “I am. And I'm really sorry I lied to you. And to Miss Betty, as well”  
He smiled “And Niky...” He leaned over, and give her a kiss on her nose “I've always been proud of you. And I will always be”  
The girl sniffled, and wiped her eyes again “R-really?”  
William's face lit up, as her lips opened in a soft smile “Sure”  
Niky stood up on her knees, and wrapped her arms around her brother's neck “Thanks, William… This means the world to me...” she said, sincerely.  
He smiled, and hugged her back. This was the part he always loved about being an older brother: having the chance to hold and cuddle his little flea. How he enjoyed the closeness! He could have held her until the end of time.  
Niky was enjoying the hug as well, when a thought suddenly crossed her mind. She pulled away a little, and bit her bottom lip, nervous “W-Will?”  
“Yes, Niky?”  
She looked down for a moment, before lifting her eyes on her brother again “Do you still trust me?” she whispered, giving him an imploring look.  
He smiled, and moved aside a lock of her dark hair that had fallen on her face “Of course I do, little one” Then, his expression became serious again “But you have to promise you will make better choices in the future than lying to get out of trouble” he said, rising a finger as a warning.  
Niky nodded “I promise”  
The man smiled “That's my flea”  
She smiled as well, and hugged him tight. She felt so good now! It was like an incredibly heavy weight had been removed from her chest. She looked him in the eyes, as she remembered she had something very important to say “Err… Will?” she murmured.  
“Yes?”  
Niky blushed “Thank you for helping me earlier… I would have been in serious trouble, if It wasn't for you...”   
“No problem, flea” William answered with a big smile. “Come on, back to work” he added, helping her put of his lap “I believe you have an essay to write”  
The girl nodded again “Yeah...”  
Then, someone opened the cell door.  
“Yard time, William” Pete said, holding the cell door open.  
“Your brothers are waiting for you” said Emmett, standing next to him, as always.  
“Coming” William answered, and walked to the door. He was about to exit the cell, when he turned around “Niky?”  
The girl lift her eyes from the notebook, and looked at him “Yes, William?”  
He smiled “Try not to get into trouble, while I'm gone” he said, blinking.  
Niky nodded, giggling, and waved her brother goodbye.

*** *** *** ***

“So, what do you think?” Niky asked, impatient.  
William ran his gaze on the paper one last time, and smiled “You really did a great job” he congratulated, giving her back the essay.  
“So… Can we go to sleep now?” she asked, yawning a little.  
Her brother smiled “Sure, flea”  
“At last!” Joe snapped from his cot “There are people who want to sleep, you know?”  
William shook his head, and turned to the girl. He kissed her forehead, and smiled “Good night, sis”  
Niky stood on the tip of her toes, and kissed him on his cheek “Good night, big brother”


End file.
